Vicuna and Shahtoosh hat felt

[ingineer]

You are welcome Doctor;
This is the one i have coming , wanted another grey hat:
http://www.cappelleriamelegari.com/...ct_info&cPath=69&products_id=1728&language=it
Glad to see you have found something you like.
Please post pictures and review when it arrives

 

[mayserwegener]

Virtually all of the vintage hats posted here that claim significant beaver composition (Stetson 7X, Stetson 100) are postwar production. Stetson produced clear beaver hats earlier in the 20th Century. They were at the top of the price pyramid. Unlike the clear nutria hats below them, which show up for auction with some regularity, the clear beavers from before WWII are rarer than hens teeth. As they were expensive and would likely have survived special occasion wearing, I'm guessing that very few were sold.

From the German / Austrian side most pre WWII beaver content hats were stiff felts which had smooth finishes.

What is interesting is that beaver skins / fur had to be purchased through London exchanges up to WWI (this applies to America).

 

[mayserwegener]

I bet you're right about the underbelly fibers.

Hopefully I can find some exceptional pre-war Borsalinos here. Seems like the market is much more in demand in the U.S. I was given two internet sources for vintage Borsalinos by an Italian FL forum member, and I was told to be patient... It will prove to be well worth the wait if I can find a vintage hat resembling a Bellagio's geometry with superior workmanship and materials, in my favorite color.

Here are 3 that I picked up recently that are from the late 1920s. They were made for the German market.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/50-borsalino-german-market/#entry1118

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/50-borsalino-german-market/page-2#entry1153

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/50-borsalino-german-market/page-2#entry1198

 

[mayserwegener]

This is from the bibliography of Der Filzhut (The Felt Hat), seine Geschichte und seine Herstellung (Its History and Preparation). Hrsg.v.d. Deutschen Hutmacher-Zeitung (German Hat Maker Newspaper). 1936.

Vicuna: Wool from the Vicuna Llama, reddish satin gloss.

(from Die Hutmacherkunst: ein Handbuch für den Klein- und Grossbetrieb By Carl Bortfeldt 1902)

Nutria and Vicuña pelts from Argentina were usually poisoned with arsenic (for pest control) so didn't require any treatment prior to storage but required very careful handling / processing.